Pillowy-Soft Vegan Indian Naan Bread Recipe

We love vegan naan! We created a recipe a little while back for simple vegan mini naans, (you can find that here) but we’ve been working to improve that recipe, and here it is, the finished product! This version uses coconut yogurt and fast action yeast to get a good rise. The dough is then left for a good period of proofing, before gently kneading and dry frying. Fresh garlic and coriander set these naans off (because we’re basic), but you could use nigella seeds, vegan cheese or leave them plain. Whatever floats your boat!

Optional toppings:

…or anything else you may want on a vegan naan! (Chocolate makes the perfect dessert naan!)

Put the yeast and sugar in a small bowl, then add the water and give it a good stir – make sure the water is pretty warm (over 40 degrees centigrade). Leave for the yeast to activate.

Mix the remaining dry ingredients in a larger bowl.

Once the yeast mix is bubbling/foaming, add the yogurt and oil, give it a little mix and then add to the dry ingredients and combine with a spoon to start with. The mix should be fairly sticky.

Add a little flour to the bowl and your hands to prevent sticking, then gently knead for a minute. If it’s sticking to your hands too much, add a bit more flour (but only add enough to be able to successfully knead it without it sticking to you too much to work it).

Lightly grease the large bowl you used to make the mix with some oil, then add the dough, cover with a damp tea-towel and leave to rise in a warm place for 1-2 hours (2-4 hours if you’re not using fast action yeast). You can get away with just the lower amount of time if you’re in a rush.

Flour a clean work surface and empty the dough onto it, then divide into 4 even pieces. Give each ball of dough a quick knead, then leave to sit for 5-10 minutes.

Heat up a cast-iron or non-stick pan over a medium heat.

Press or roll your dough balls out into whatever shape you want them and sprinkle a bit of water onto one side – if you’re using any toppings, press them into the other side of the naan

Put one naan, wet-side down, into your pan and cook for 1-2 minutes. You should see the dough start to bubble – that’s when to flip it. Cook it on the other side for another minute until both sides have some nice brown patches and have puffed up a bit.